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Person-Centred Language Checker

Attribution

Original work: "Educators' guide to multimodal learning and Generative AI" — Tünde Varga-Atkins, Samuel Saunders, et al. (2024/25) — CC BY-NC 4.0
Adapted for UK Nursing Education by: Lincoln Gombedza, RN (LD)
Last Updated: December 2025

The Problem with "Medicalese"​

Healthcare documentation is often filled with jargon, abbreviations, and institutional language that can:

  • Dehumanise patients (e.g., "the diabetic in bed 5")
  • Exclude patients from their own care (if they read their notes)
  • Perpetuate power imbalances between staff and patients
  • Obscure the person behind the condition

Person-centred language puts the individual first, not their diagnosis.

What is a Language Checker?​

A "Person-Centred Language Checker" uses AI to:

  1. Identify jargon, abbreviations, and impersonal language in care documentation.
  2. Suggest alternative phrasing that centres the patient's identity and preferences.
  3. Highlight subtle biases or assumptions embedded in clinical language.
Open Source Tool

The Nursing Citizen Development project has developed an open-source Person-Centred Language Checker trained on nursing-specific literature from the Foundation of Nursing Studies (FoNS).

Examples of Language Transformation​

Original (Institutional)Revised (Person-Centred)
"Patient non-compliant with medication regime.""Mrs Patel has chosen not to take her evening medication. We discussed her concerns about side effects."
"Diabetic admitted with DKA.""Mr Ahmed, who lives with Type 1 diabetes, was admitted with diabetic ketoacidosis."
"Confused and agitated overnight.""Mrs Brown appeared unsettled overnight, possibly due to an unfamiliar environment."
"Bed 3 needs obs.""Mrs Johnson is due for her observations."

Try It: AI Prompts for Language Checking​

Prompt 1: Basic Language Check​

You are an expert in person-centred nursing language. I will give you a sentence from a care record. Your task is to:
1. Identify any jargon, abbreviations, or impersonal language.
2. Rewrite the sentence to be more person-centred, putting the individual first.
3. Explain why your revision is more person-centred.

Here is the sentence:
"Patient refused physio this AM. Remains bedbound."

Expected Output:

Identified Issues:

  • "Patient" is impersonal; should use the person's name.
  • "refused" implies defiance; could be "chose not to" or "was not ready for".
  • "AM" is jargon.
  • "Remains bedbound" is clinical and passive.

Revised Sentence: "Mrs Davies chose not to attend physiotherapy this morning. She shared that she was feeling tired. We will offer support again this afternoon when she feels more rested."

Explanation: This revision centres Mrs Davies's agency and acknowledges her feelings, rather than labelling her behaviour as "refusal".

Prompt 2: Full Document Review​

I am a nursing student. Please review the following care note for person-centred language. For each issue you find:
- Quote the original phrase.
- Explain why it is problematic.
- Provide a suggested revision.

Care Note:
"72 y/o female. Hx of HTN, HF, CKD. Non-compliant with fluid restriction. Oedematous ankles noted. Son present—states pt 'doesn't listen'. SBAR completed. Awaiting medical review."

Prompt 3: Self-Assessment​

I am a nursing student. I have written the following care note. Using the principles of person-centred care, give me feedback on my language. Be honest but supportive.

My Note:
"Mr Jones had a fall last night. He was found on the floor by night staff. He is known to be a falls risk. He was helped back to bed and obs were done. No injury noted."

Classroom Activity: The Language Audit​

Objective: Develop critical awareness of language in care documentation.

Time: 30 minutes

Instructions​

  1. Collect Examples: Ask students to bring (anonymised) examples of care documentation from their placements.
  2. Audit in Pairs: Using the AI prompts above, have pairs of students "audit" each other's examples for person-centred language.
  3. Rewrite: Each student rewrites one problematic note.
  4. Discuss: As a class, discuss:
    • What patterns did you notice?
    • Why does this language persist in practice?
    • What are the barriers to using person-centred language in busy clinical environments?

Key Principles of Person-Centred Language​

PrincipleExample
Use names, not labels"Mrs Patel" not "the diabetic"
Person-first language"A person living with dementia" not "a dementia patient"
Agency over passivity"Mr Jones chose to rest" not "Patient refused to mobilise"
Acknowledge feelings"Mrs Brown appeared distressed" not "Patient agitated"
Avoid assumptions"Son shared his concerns" not "Son states patient doesn't listen"

Further Reading​